Come to order. Let me thank our witnesses for being here. In july in this committee meant to assess the transition in afghanistan. You had been on the job will lead to months of the time. In looking over the transcripts of that hearing was struck about how the issues remained virtually the same five months later. I look forward to hearing what both of you believe we should expect in the coming months as well as your perspective on some broader issues i have with respect to the state department and usaid planning for a postal facebook. Com booktv presents. Clearly this is a critical time in the transition process. President karzai has, in my view, and wisely decided to gamble with the lives of millions of citizens with a delay in signing the bilateral security in agreement, testing your patience and threatening the progress made by so many afghans in partnership with the International Community since 2001. And believe this brinksmanship is unwarranted and, frankly, insulting to the sacrifices made by the United States military and taxpayers and it is not in afghanistans best interest. But i dont think anyone should take my word for it. Ask the thousands who participated last month and overwhelmingly call for afghanistan to sign. As leaders in the region of called upon afghanistan to sign. Asked Afghan Civil Society leaders to without a smooth and stable transition stand to lose ground gained over the past decade. And as the women of afghanistan he stand to lose the most if afghanistan falls victim to the kind of violence that we saw in the 90s. Any further delay will have real applications on the ground. First and every day that passes makes it more difficult to plan militarily. Second, along with the the late the more players in afghanistan and across the region has their bets among leading good people to leave afghanistan and taking the capital with them. Simply put, at some point, the United States has to ask if we should let our longterm interests and our success of investments in afghanistan be determined by a lameduck president. If we are not able to finalize the bilateral Security Agreement, the results are clear. All u. S. Troops would have to leave the country, supporting congress for appropriations for the Afghan Military and Development Efforts will diminish, and we will not be able to support the Afghan Military any significant way or be able to provide Development Assistance at the same levels. Afghans seem to understand this. It is unfortunate that president karzai does not. Even though i note with interest an article that says that president karzai agreed on a cooperation pact on sunday while continuing to resist signing a longterm Security Agreement with the United States. It is Pretty Amazing to me. Enough time and effort to strike an agreement with tehran, but not with the country that is shed blood and National Treasure to bring it to the point at which it yesterday. Let me reiterate finally hit the u. S. Has no intention in interfering in the election process. The choice of president and provincial officials will rest with the Afghan People, but the future of International Assistance will depend upon the integrity of the process. We have seen some progress with respect to the election preparations, but i am concerned about the security situation. We know that hundreds of polling places will not be able to open. Many are in areas too dangerous for domestic and international observation. I am also deeply concerned that this enfranchisement of women, especially in rural areas where it has been difficult to recruit afghan women to serve and security rules and politicians. It is also clear that his behavior makes it difficult to plan our diplomatic and element efforts in nearly four to our witness is providing the committee with a better understanding of the administrations planning for the state department in usaid the proposed 2014. Having laid out the broad parameters, that me thank you both for being here. I look forward to our discussion. With that, let me recognize the distinguished ranking member, for his opening statement. Thank you, chairman. What to think the witnesses. I dont know exactly the outcome of todays meeting in light of what is happening in afghanistan , but i would like to make three brief points and certainly look forward to hearing your testimony. I think that where we are today in this Bilateral Agreement, we certainly have a president of a country that is really not speaking for its citizens, and that think everyone understands that. All of us who have had encounters with karzai and understand the irrationality it comes with most dealings with him. So, you know, i think as i talk to the troops in tennessee that are getting ready to be there in february in a sort of asking, why would we go to a country that has a president who is dealing with us this weight . And, of course, exploration is, again, he is not speaking for afghanistan. We have got to look to a long review in the Afghan People and not to one individual that is somehow trying to find his place in history. Secondly, would love to hear i know that when the ambassador was in a most recent blessed by setting we thought we were maybe a couple of days away from something happening. I know that everyone shared that view. That is not where we are. I would love to your your assessment as to how this uncertainty is affecting things inside the country economically, how is affecting business decisions, how it is affecting the ingress and egress of citizens and how they will affect the political circumstances between now and the proposed election in april. And leslie, i know that a number of us who were at the Munich Security Conference last year, almost 11 months ago, our nato allies were wanting to know, you know, how are they going to provision troops, how many folks there are some things, and i know the administration can and should be communicating. I dont know if you want to especially shed any light on the conversations that are occurring relative to if we get this bilateral in place, you know, how those communications are going. Will we still be in a position to be appropriately ready. With that i look forward to our witnesses and thank them for being here. Thank you. Lets turn to ambassador dobbins the acting assistant to the administrator for the office of afghanistan and pakistan. Careful statements will be included in the record. I urge you to summarize them so that we can have a dialogue with you. The floor is yours. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Ranking member, senator. My longer statement does cover a range of issues, but i want to concentrate on the one that both of you have raised which is the fate of the bsa and the consequences for our and the International Communitys relations with afghanistan. As you noted, assembled by president karzai, 2,500 afghanistan leaders from around the country, strongly endorsed and urged the president to conclude by the end of the year. One member actually told me that of the 2500 people, only 25 spoke out against which would be a pretty startling majority. The United States certainly agrees with the Afghan People concluding that they will send an important signal to the people of afghanistan, our allies, partners, for the Afghan People it will reduce anxiety and uncertainty about the future they will tell the television that they are only passed violence and excepting the afghan constitution. There will insure the region that the United States will remain engaged, as will its allies and that we are not going to abandon afghanistan as we did once before. To our nato allies and other International Partners there will open the door to concluding a native agreement of comparable status of forces and allow them to begin planning for their 2015 presence. For all these reasons the administration is committed to expeditious signature of this agreement, delaying signatures in no ones interest as both of you have stressed. Dylan would add another element of uncertainty as they prepare for their elections. The United States and our nato allies would mean a lack of clarity about our own presence in 2015 which in turn would jeopardize the fulfillment, the pledges of assistance that nato and other countries have made. As ambassador race made clear during her recent visit, although it is not our preference, without a prompt signature of this agreement we will have no choice but to initiate planning for a 2,014 post 2014 future in which there would be no u. S. Or nato troops in afghanistan. Let me make clear, however, that plans are not decisions and assure you that we are not about to decide to abandon all that we in the Afghan People have achieved. Based upon the results of the expressions of Public Opinion throughout the country and discussions the route my own visit last week, i dont believe that there can be any serious doubt that the Afghan People want the United States and nato forces to state and recognize that the bilateral Security Agreement is a necessary prerequisite. Also the keystone of a much wider International Permanent involving over 70 countries ready to provide economic and Security Assistance to afghanistan beyond 2015. The regional neighbors with the exception of a iran also understand the importance. And a stand that they have all personally urged the president to conclude this agreement. As you know, several of these leaders are no fans of American Military presence in central asia, but they all seem to recognize that without continued International Military and economic support afghanistan risks falling back into civil war with the attendance rise in extremist groups come out flow of refugees in destructions and commerce that would threaten the region as a whole. Given this coincidence of afghan public and regional governmental opinion i see little chance that there will not be eventually concluded. Awaiting the arrival of the next half afghan president to do some will impose large and unnecessary costs on the Afghan People. Already the anxiety caused by president karzai refusal to keep the yen price of the in the serve as having such an effect. While there last week to learn from the world bank and other sources that the afghan currency is slipping in value. Inflation is increasing, Property Values dropping. Probably for the First Time Since 2001 the outflow of afghan population exceeds the return of refugees. The longer this uncertainty about the future of International Commitment to afghanistan continues the more anxiety will increase potentially dominating the Upcoming Elections and red ink to turn this into a polarizing rather than unifying experience of the country. Prolonged uncertainty will also erode larger, International Support for a consent. Tokyo and chicago, the International Community pledged billions in support of the Afghan Security forces and the afghanistan economy beyond 2014. As in the United States the fulfillment of these pledges is dependent upon public support and parliamentary approval. Prolonged delay in concluding in the also required mental equivalent agreement can only diminish the prospect that these pledges will be fully met. So just to conclude there really i have no doubt that theyll ultimately will be concluded. I am concerned about the damage and the cost which are prolonged delay will create. I cannot predict with any certainty when it is going to be signed. At think there is some prospect that it could be signed this year. Given my own discussions with the president last week, i am simply not in a position to provide you any assurances. It continues to be our objective and we are nowhere near a decision. They keep. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I have been working since 2002. In addition to having worked in the afghan constitutional i served as a representative of an international ngo, Senior Adviser to two commanders and as chief of staff to the u. N. Assistance mission. After the fall that taliban regime my saw firsthand in afghanistan and have been devastated by decades of conflict, the unprecedented investment by u. S. Taxpayers and the International Community which has created transformational changes that are reflected in the United Nations 2013 Human Development in next. Afghanistan improved its score more than any other country that year as an improvement of about 60 . Changes of this magnitude are not made overnight, especially in such a deeply Traditional Society and challenging operational environment. The results of international civilian existence a significant but french out. A few examples. There were only 900,000 afghan children in school and virtually no rules. Nearly 8 million children are in school and a 30 percent of them are girls. Life expectancy has increased. Maternal mortality rate has declined by 80 . Child mortality has decreased. In 2002 only 6 percent of afghan said access to electricity. Today that number is 18 in the afghan electric utility is well on its way to finance stability. In 2002 there were very few fixed telephone lines and a call outside of afghanistan required a satellite phone. Today the combined phone Networks Cover 90 percent of yevgeny population and 85 percent of women have access to a sulfone. Today there are over 3,000 womenowned businesses and associations, almost 20 per cent of afghans enrolled in Higher Education are women to men and women are active participants in the afghan political process. As we enter the transition usaid strategy is threefold to but to maintain and make durable the gains that have been made in health, education, and the empowerment of women, to mitigate the x to five economic consequences of the military drawdown and to foster improved stability by supporting governments to improve the 2014 elections. Usaid places a high priority on insuring the american taxpayer dollars are used wisely. While many issues are unique to that country to maundering projects in challenging environments is something the u. S. Aid does around the world. In designing the afghanistan monetary strategy u. S. A. The incorporated Lessons Learned from on terms are on the world to put colombia, iraq, pakistan, and south sudan. I will not that these programs to form the basis of our afghanistan Monitoring Program and have been reviewed in six separate Inspector General ports as well as free by the general accounting office. Finally external audits provide useful oversight and discipline and complement and reinforce the rhone efforts to ensure u. S. Tax dollars are used effectively and efficiently. There are currently over 100 on its ongoing. The bottom line is that it will terminate programs if the agency determines that adequate oversight is not possible or that adequate Development Progress is not being made. With respect to the elections the credible, transparent, inclusive of electoral process is central to the u. S. Government transition strategy in critical to have estrogen to about strategy. We remain focused on supporting an exclusive and democratic process by supporting afghan Electoral Party and by building the capacity of democratic stakeholders in afghanistan so that they can participate in the elections in a robust and informed when. We support independent domestic observers, civil society, media, and political parties, helping them appropriately engage in the democratic process. Supporting the petition of women in all aspects of the electoral process, brought in the hiring and training, promoting public average and by Public Officials and enhancing the ability of the no candid its a campaign effectively. In conclusion, i have worked in afghanistan is a member of the department of state, usaid in the military. I have attended ceremonies for the Fallen Heroes and of reorganizations. I am personally and usaid is institutionally keenly aware of the enormous sacrifices made by americans to build a secure and stable afghanistan, and we folia understand the need for constant vigilance, particularly during this delicate transition. We are making tough decisions, pirates as investments, and looking for things that have the greatest potential for longterm success. As we navigate through the 2014 transition go we continue to be committed to safeguarding taxpayer resources and to ensuring the remarkable levels of Development Progress made in afghanistan are maintained in may durable. It is an honor to be here today and to share with you in a small glimpse of what were doing in that regard and i look forward to your questi